Workings of Israel's secret service exposed

From London Times, 2 August, 1996

THE operational structure of Mossad, Israel's secret intelligence
service, which has always prided itself on weaving a cloak of
impenetrable secrecy around its covert operations, has been disclosed
by a British specialist journal.

The details of Mossad's "family tree" appear in Jane's Sentinel
journal, which has published a special edition on the eastern
Mediterranean. The Israeli defence establishment has already reacted
with concern over revelations in the same publication about the
Israeli Air Force, including the location of all its air bases.

The detailed focus on the air force and intelligence services is due
to be published in Sentinel next week. Apart from studying the
internal workings of Mossad, which is estimated to employ about 1,200
people, the journal looks at the rest of the Israeli intelligence
community, including Shin Bet, the counter-espionage agency and
internal security service.

Mossad, the Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Missions,
is the equivalent of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6.
Israeli newspapers and broadcasting services are prohibited from
writing about Mossad.

According to the journal, Mossad's largest operational branch is the
Collections Department, responsible for intelligence-gathering
operations abroad. The Collections Department is split into sections
and includes separate "desks" covering different regions. Branch A is
said to cover Spain, Egypt, Cyprus and Algeria. Branch C is reported
to cover the Mossad stations in London, Paris and Marseilles.

The journal also says that Mossad has a clandestine operations
command, known within the Israeli secret service as Metsada, which
runs "small units of combatants who carry out actions abroad against
those considered to be a threat to Israeli security". The journal
says: "These missions have included assassinations and sabotage."

The Metsada unit is said to be answerable directly to the head of
Mossad, who was recently named by the Israeli Government as
Major-General Danny Yatom, 51. General Yatom, said to be nicknamed
"The Prussian", replaced Shabtai Shavit who resigned earlier this year
after nearly seven years as Mossad's head.

Other Mossad branches are listed as the Political Action and Liaison
Department which deals with friendly foreign intelligence services,
including the American CIA and Britain's MI6, and a special section
called LAP (Lohamah Psichlogit) which covers psychological warfare.

The journal says that one of the most important of the support
departments is the Research Department, which has 15 separate desks,
including ones for the United States, Canada, Western Europe, the
former Soviet Union, Libya, Syria and Iran. It says there is also a
nuclear desk which specialises solely in nuclear developments around
the world. Israel is known to be keeping a close watch on Iran's
nuclear ambitions; Iran is said to be ten to 15 years away from a
nuclear bomb.

Sentinel says Mossad's Research Department produces short daily
reports and longer weekly summaries on all areas of interest.

Shin Bet, the internal service, is reported to have three operational
departments and five support departments. The operational sections are
listed as the Arab Affairs Department, which monitors suspected Arab
subversives; the Non-Arab Affairs Department, which is involved in
"the penetration of foreign intelligence services and diplomatic
missions" in Israel; and the Protective Security Department,
responsible for protecting national representatives and assets.